Hostaway vs Hospitable:
Which Is Best for Vacation Property Managers?
Choosing a property management system should not feel like a guessing game. As your portfolio expands, the differences between platforms become increasingly evident – gaps in automation, limited reporting capabilities, additional manual work, and rising costs from tools that fail to scale with your business.
For hosts beginning their Airbnb journey, platforms like Hostaway and Hospitable offer a solid starting point. However, many managers eventually require a solution that delivers stronger automation, a more robust direct-booking infrastructure, and pricing that remains transparent as they grow.
This guide outlines how each platform performs in day-to-day operations, detailing their strengths, their limitations, and which one provides the most reliable foundation for long-term efficiency and control.
What Is Holiday Rental Management Software?
Holiday rental management software centralises the core functions required to operate short-term rentals and property management businesses, including bookings, guest communication, payments, channel distribution, operations, and reporting.
The best platforms do far more than store reservations. They automate end-to-end workflows, maintain accurate synchronisation, eliminate repetitive tasks, and provide a reliable operational infrastructure that supports business growth without increasing your workload.
How to Choose Holiday Rental Software for Your Business
Automation vs Website Focus
The first distinction to make is whether a platform is designed primarily as a website builder or as an operational engine. Some systems focus on website creation with only limited PMS functionality layered on, while others are built around automation and workflow reliability. Many property managers prefer platforms that deliver both robust website capabilities and strong operational automation, eliminating the need to manage two separate systems.
Pricing Model and Real Cost of Scale
Pricing should be evaluated beyond the monthly subscription alone. Booking fees, add-on bundles, and enterprise-style charges can escalate quickly if the platform does not meaningfully reduce manual work. The real question is whether the system genuinely saves you time or subtly introduces new tasks.
Feature Depth and Operational Capability
As your portfolio expands, you need technology capable of scaling with it. A robust platform provides reliable OTA synchronisation, automated payments, structured housekeeping workflows, accurate reporting, owner transparency, and rate automation that adjusts to demand without constant oversight. Without these components, operational stability can quickly become vulnerable.
Long-Term Growth and Scalability
Your software should continue to perform efficiently as your inventory expands or as you oversee multiple locations. The right system accommodates growth without necessitating a complete overhaul of your tools or processes.
Hostaway vs Hospitable: Head-to-Head Comparison
Choose Hospitable if:
You are a small-scale landlord or property manager seeking a simple, user-friendly platform. It streamlines bookings, messaging, and pricing, though the direct-booking website and advanced features require a paid plan.
Choose Hostaway if:
You manage a medium-to-large rental business and want to automate operations efficiently. It offers robust management features and seamless integration with major OTAs like Airbnb, Booking.com, and Vrbo, making it a strong option for scaling your portfolio. However, some channels may require manual setup, and not all features sync fully, which can limit market reach without occasional oversight.
Hostaway is designed for medium-to-large rental businesses, offering robust automation, OTA integrations, centralised management, and advanced operational features – ideal for scaling large portfolios efficiently.
Hospitable targets smaller landlords or hosts, focusing on simplicity, guest communication, and automated workflows. Its direct-booking website and advanced features are available via paid plans, making it best for managing a few properties with minimal complexity.
Features
Free plan
All-in-one platform
Direct booking website
Automation & reliability
OTA integrations (Airbnb etc.)
Scalability
Reporting
Hostaway: Comprehensive Property Management & Channel Management Platform
Hostaway is a full-featured property management system that helps hosts and managers automate operations, sync listings across OTAs, manage bookings, and build direct-booking websites. Its all-in-one approach suits growing portfolios, though it may be more than needed for single-property hosts.
Their main features are:
- Direct‑booking website builder: Hostaway lets you create a direct‑booking website, with integrated booking engine and no coding required.
- Channel manager: synchronises calendars, rates and reservations across major OTAs.
- PMS tools: unified inbox for guest communication, multi‑calendar and reservations manager, payment processing, mobile app, task/cleaning workflows.
- Automation & AI: automated guest messaging, review automation, automated tasks (cleaning/maintenance), automated payments, reports and analytics.
- Smart‑locks add‑on: Hostaway offers a “Smartlocks” feature through its operations tools so you can manage access codes and lock control centrally.
Pros:
- Easy to launch a direct‑booking website and booking engine without coding. (Website builder + direct booking)
- Comprehensive onboarding and support for those managing multiple properties — many users consider the support and unified setup helpful when scaling.
- Solid calendar/listing synchronisation and channel‑manager reliability to avoid double bookings across OTAs.
- A full‑feature PMS and channel manager can be more complex – perhaps more than needed for hosts with just one property or small portfolios.
- Pricing and onboarding costs may be less transparent – the official pricing page notes that rates depend on number of listings and business size; add‑ons (e.g. smart locks, dynamic pricing) may come extra.
- As a more comprehensive, professional‑grade tool, there is a learning curve compared to simpler, more minimalistic platforms.
Hostaway Setup
Hostaway does not offer a free trial.
Onboarding typically begins with a demo or an initial call to configure the account and set up listings. The billing cycle (subscription) normally starts on the day of the first onboarding call.
Hostaway Pricing Tiers
Hostaway uses customised pricing. Cost depends on the number of listings/properties and features – there’s no fixed “one‑size‑fits‑all” plan.
- Typical per‑listing fees range between £9 and £44 depending on portfolio size.
- On average, many customers report paying roughly £31 per listing.
- The base price includes core platform features: PMS, channel manager, guest communications, direct‑booking website builder, analytics/reporting.
- Optional add‑ons (e.g. smart locks, dynamic pricing, additional services) may incur separate charges.
Reviews
G2
4.7
Capterra
4.8
Trustpilot
4.5
G2
4.9
Capterra
4.8
Trustpilot
3.9
Reviews
Review Platforms
G2
Capterra
Trustpilot
Hospitable: Automation-Focused Operations Platform Powered by AI
Hospitable positions itself as a short-term rental ‘super-app’ heavily focused on AI-powered guest-messaging automation and streamlined operations – particularly attractive for solo hosts or small portfolios. However, some users raise concerns about limitations in channel integrations, feature depth, and cost-effectiveness as portfolios grow.
Their main features are:
- AI-powered guest messaging and a unified inbox, supported by automations for team notifications, cleaning coordination, and review management.
- Comprehensive channel management with full calendar, rate, and reservation synchronization, as well as built-in dynamic pricing.
- Direct-booking functionality, with an optional Premium package that includes AI-driven guest screening through Autohost and provides up to $5 million in damage protection.
- Integrated payment processing, with Hospitable serving as the Merchant of Record, while the Basic plan supports Stripe exclusively.
- Smart-home integrations, including support for connected locks, thermostats, and other compatible devices.
Pros:
- Highly regarded for its automated messaging capabilities.
- Delivers dependable, “set-and-forget” workflows once properly configured.
- Frequently praised by small and mid-sized hosts for its ease of use and overall reliability.
- Unreliable automation (messages or syncs sometimes fail).
- Poor or slow customer support.
- Unexpected changes to settings or pricing.
- Issues with calendar sync are leading to double bookings.
Hospitable Setup
Hospitable offers a 14-day free trial and optional onboarding support to help new users get started efficiently.
Hosts also gain access to a comprehensive library of training videos for guided setup, along with an active online community that includes town halls and Q&A sessions where they can learn, troubleshoot, and exchange insights with other hosts.
Hospitable Pricing Tiers
Hospitable offers three primary subscription plans, with pricing adjusted based on the number of properties and included features:
- Host (£25/month for 1 property), Professional (£49/month for 2 properties), and Mogul (£79/month for 3 properties).
- Additional active properties cost £9–£25 per month depending on the plan, and charges apply only when properties have check-ins.
- All plans include a 14-day free trial.
The Trade-Off Dilemma
Hostaway is strong in building visually appealing direct-booking websites and managing multiple booking channels, but its automation features like messaging workflows and task management can feel secondary.
Hospitable, focuses on automation and AI-powered guest messaging, along with streamlined operations like cleaning task management and review automation, but its website-building capabilities and channel diversity are more limited.
Property managers face a trade-off: choosing Hostaway gives a robust direct-booking platform with broad channel support, while choosing Hospitable provides efficient automation and guest communication. Those who want both strengths often look to integrated platforms like Zeevou, which combine advanced automation with strong direct-booking functionality.
Zeevou: Setup and Pricing Overview
Zeevou makes it easy to get started with a free plan and a structured, portfolio-friendly pricing model. You can sign up instantly, explore the system, and upgrade only when you’re ready.
Spark (Free):
Core PMS features, a direct-booking website, automated workflows, guest messaging, and basic payments.
Glow (~£14/unit):
Adds a channel manager, unified inbox, mobile app, and more integrations.
Blaze (~£26/unit):
Includes dynamic pricing, automated owner reporting, housekeeping & maintenance workflows.
Dazzle (~£42/unit):
Adds AI-powered 24/7 guest messaging and advanced automation tools.
All paid plans offer up to 80% savings on annual subscriptions, include a 30-day money-back guarantee, and support custom pricing or bulk discounts for larger portfolios. (Some plans apply a 10% fee on Google Vacation Rentals.)
Zeevou’s onboarding is designed to support you at every stage – from live Q&A and 24/7 chat support to a dedicated Customer Success Manager on higher-tier plans to help with workflow setup, channel connections, and system optimisation.
Which Platform Matches Your Business Model?
The right choice depends on your portfolio size, budget, team expertise, and growth plans.
Medium-to-large rental business: Hostaway suits hosts who want a strong direct-booking website and multi-channel management. Its robust booking engine and channel integrations make operations smoother, though some users report that automation features, like guest messaging and workflow tasks, feel secondary.
Independent hosts and small teams: Hospitable is ideal for those managing a few properties who value simplicity, strong guest communication tools, and easy automation. Its AI-powered messaging and streamlined task management help save time, though its website-building capabilities and channel support are more limited.
Growing or mid-sized businesses: If you manage 10–200 properties, Zeevou offers a more scalable and cost-effective solution, designed to help you grow efficiently without the complexity or high costs of enterprise tools.
Zeevou Sells "Financial Independence", Not Just " Automation”.
Hostaway vs Hospitable: Final Verdict
Hostaway is better suited for hosts and property managers who want to combine direct bookings with channel management in one platform. Its robust website builder and multi-platform integration make it ideal for those ready to grow their brand beyond OTAs.
Hospitable stands out for its intuitive automation, streamlined guest communication, and task management, making it ideal for small hosts who want to save time and simplify operations.
However, if your business is rapidly growing and you’re looking for a more affordable, all-in-one alternative, Zeevou is worth considering. It offers automation, direct booking tools, and transparent pricing – without the steep learning curve or high enterprise costs.
The information presented in this comparison is based on publicly available data and our independent analysis as of July 2025. Features, pricing, and capabilities may change without notice.
